Remembrance
by Cloudy Luminosity
Summary: A young woman wakes up in a strange place with no memories of her past. She begins traveling with a young man named Touya in hopes of finding his friend-her savior. As they travel she encounters relics from her past and learns of the sinister reasons behind her amnesia. Danger lurks around every corner. Can she decipher her past before it's too late? [ OC-centric, somewhat AU ]
1. Regain Consciousness

A young woman laid unconscious in the woods. Her long, red hair was spread out behind her head, though some of it was stained darker from blood. She opened her blue eyes to find herself sprawled out in the middle of the woods; the back of her head was throbbing, and her mind was in a fog. Sitting in front of the young woman, was a small brown creature which jumped up excitedly when it saw her open her eyes.

It cried out, "Eevee, eve!" before turning and sticking its head into a bag that was slung over the redhead's shoulder.

She raised an eyebrow at the strange site, confused, before slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position and leaning against the tree behind her.

Several minutes had passed as she looked around at her surroundings. As the redhead looked ahead of herself again, she noticed that the creature from earlier had popped back out of the bag with a branch full of round, blue spheres. It trotted up to her and dropped the branch on her lap before looking up at her expectantly.

The young woman hesitated, unsure of what it wanted her to do, before deciding to mimic the little guy. As she picked up the branch, the creature seemed to be beaming with pride; however, when she put the branch in her mouth, it cried out, clearly unhappy. Still unsure of what it wanted her to do, she took the branch out of her mouth and placed it on her lap. The creature then moved to the branch and closed its mouth over one of the small blue spheres before pulling back and chewing it.

Her eyes dilated as visions of eating flooded her mind.

Having regained her memories of eating, the young woman plucked one of the blue spheres off the branch, placed it in her mouth, and chewed. As soon as she finished, she felt a tingling sensation in the back of her head as the throbbing was alleviated. The small creature cried out in excitement and nudged the branch toward the woman again, encouraging her to eat more.

She smiled at her little friend and plucked another sphere from the branch. As she raised it to her mouth, she heard a gruff voice yell out. "Hey! You there!"

The young woman's eyes dilated as memories of language filled her mind.

As she regained her senses, she looked up to see a man, who was probably in his mid-twenties—only a few years her elder—towering in front of her with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face.

"That's _my_ Eevee you've got there. Hand it over!"

She narrowed her eyes in confusion, "Eevee? You mean this?" She held out the hand that contained the tasty blue sphere.

The man's face flushed red in anger before he smacked her hand away and yelled, "Not _that_; the furball!" He pointed to the redhead's little friend, who was backing away and growling at him.

By that point, the young woman had become aware of her lack of knowledge relating to the situation; but, she could tell that Eevee didn't want to go with the man. However, this man was very intimidating, so she didn't know what to do. As she debated with herself, the man was clearly losing his patience, and he began reaching for something on his belt. The young woman's eyes widened in fear at the gesture.

Luckily, she heard the calm voice of another man intervene. "Please, stop. Eevee isn't yours."

The angry man whipped around to face the newcomer, before barking, "Wha'd'ya just say, punk? You talk too fast."

The blue-eyed woman turned to look at him too. The newcomer was a very tall young man with long green hair and gray eyes.

"I'm asking you to please stop. Eevee isn't yours, and she doesn't want to be."

The angry man snorted, "Oh, yeah? What gives you _that_ crazy idea? I'm saying it's my Eevee, and there's no one else here to say otherwise."

"Eevee is telling me this, and I believe her word over yours."

The angry man's eyes widened in realization as he began to back away, "Hold on. I know who you are. The green hair, talking to Pokémon; you're N, from Unova!" He glanced to Eevee and back to N, "I'm not taking my chances with _you_ around." With that, he turned and ran off in the other direction.

After that, Eevee ran over to N and began chattering at him, looking back at the redhead multiple times. Meanwhile, the young woman was starting to feel a little awkward sitting while someone so tall was standing near, so she decided it was time to stand up. Once standing, she readjusted the strap to her bag and brushed the dirt off her pants. When N and Eevee were done talking, they approached her. Eevee looked over to N, prompting him to bring up what she asked him to.

"Eevee wants me to bring you to the Pokémon Center so the nurse there can make sure you're okay. Eevee says that you were bleeding, and she's worried about you."

"Oh, that would explain the pain… Okay."

N shifted awkwardly before adding, "Follow me. We're just a short walk from Rustboro City. There's a Pokémon Center there, where they can take care of you."

The redhead agreed to follow him, and the three of them began walking in the direction he came from.

After several minutes of silence, the trio arrived in a bustling city. N lightly held onto the young woman's arm and tugged her behind him as he weaved through the crowd to a large building with a red roof. He let go as they entered the building, and led the young woman to the front desk, where a nurse with pink hair stood.

"It's nice to see you again, N, and so soon. Are your Pokémon in need of my help?" she greeted.

"No, not today. I have a friend here who needs your help, though." He gestured toward the blue-eyed woman. "Eevee found her unconscious in Petalburg Woods, and her head was bleeding."

"Oh my! Of course I'll help her. Please, follow me."

N spoke up, "I'm sorry, but can't stay any longer. Good luck to you, and farewell." With that, he turned and left.

The red-haired woman watched as he left, feeling a little afraid now that he was gone. In the short time that he helped her, she had felt secure around him. Maybe that was because he was the first human to reach out and help her after she woke up. Either way, she were feeling scared, and she held onto Eevee a little more tightly.

The nurse led the young woman into a room just down the hallway. "Oh, I'm Nurse Joy, by the way. What's your name, miss?"

She looked at Nurse Joy and tried to remember.

"I'm… I'm…" She couldn't remember, and stammered, "I-I don't know!"

The realization hit her like a train. She couldn't remember anything about herself. Fear and panic began to settle in. Her heart rate sped up, her breaths became shorter and more frequent, and tears began accumulating in her eyes.

Nurse Joy and Eevee spent the next several minutes trying to calm her down, and, when she did, Nurse Joy checked the young amnesiac's head and began to speak again.

"You have blood matted in your hair right now, but the cut has healed over. It looks almost like the effects of an oran berry."

"Um… are they round and blue?"

"Yes, did you eat any?"

"Yeah, Eevee gave me some."

Nurse Joy petted Eevee on her head. "That was very nice of you, Eevee. You may very well have saved her from collapsing due to blood loss." Eevee beamed with pride again as Nurse Joy turned back to the redhead. "I'll let you stay here at the Pokémon Center until you can recover your memories fully–we have rooms where we let trainers stay the night if they need shelter. I'll go to the police station later to find out if anyone filed a Missing Person's Report on you."

She replied with a weak smile, "Thank you."

Nurse Joy led the young woman and Eevee to one of the free rooms in the Pokémon Center before informing her, "You can stay here for the time being. You have your own bathroom through that door–you can wash the blood out of your hair in there. When you get hungry you can come back to the front desk, and I'll get you some food. If there's anything else you need, just let me know." Nurse Joy then returned to her position at the front desk.

After putting her bag down, she realized that the blood in her hair was making her feel gross, so she decided to go wash it out first. Still shaken from N leaving her, the blue-eyed woman took Eevee to the bathroom with her, afraid that she would leave or be taken if she left her alone. She walked over to the sink to wash the blood out. After doing so, she looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror.

Her eyes dilated again as a single memory played out in her mind.

_The red-haired woman was younger now. She stood in front of the mirror in a strangely familiar feeling place, an older woman who looked similar to her was standing behind her._

_She was looking at her short, red hair with a doubtful frown on her face when the woman softly spoke, "I know it's a big change, sweetheart, but it was the only thing I could do to help you with all that sticky gum in your hair."_

_The red-haired girl's frown stayed, and the older woman bent down to her height before continuing, "But, you know what? I think you still look beautiful, Ellie." She then kissed the girl on her forehead._

The memory faded, and she regained her senses once more to find herself staring at her wet hair in her reflection.

"Ellie," she repeated to herself. "That's me."


	2. The Search Begins

It had been one week since N brought Ellie and Eevee to the Pokémon Center. In that time, Nurse Joy diagnosed the young woman with Retrograde Amnesia. Ellie was distraught when Nurse Joy told her that it could take months, even years, for Ellie to recover her memories—if she ever did at all. To make matters worse, there were no Missing Persons Reports in the area that matched the young woman's description. Nurse Joy had told her that she would likely be stuck in that Pokémon Center until she either recovered or someone from her past located her.

Ellie and Nurse Joy had gone through her belongings in search of her Trainer ID, which would contain all of her personal information, but it was nowhere to be found. In the bag, they had found a few empty pokéballs, a container full of berries, another container full of hard and colorful fruits, a few snacks for humans and pokémon, and a bunch of pokémedicine.

The redhead was currently in her room and putting on the clothes she had just washed. As she put her socks and shoes on, Ellie noticed that her one sock felt softer for some reason. She didn't ponder that for long, though, as her stomach began to growl at her.

In response to her stomach, the blue-eyed woman picked up Eevee and made her way to the dining area of the Pokémon Center. After picking up a tray of food for her and a bowl of food for Eevee, Ellie walked over to an open table and the two of them began eating.

While Ellie was eating, she couldn't help but wonder again what kind of life she lived before she woke up last week. Was she a good person? Did she leave anyone behind who would worry about her? Given that no one around here was looking for her, Ellie questioned what would make her go so far away from home.

The redhead's thoughts were interrupted by Nurse Joy's voice. "This is Ellie, the girl that N brought here last week."

Ellie's ears perked up at the mention of N, so she turned her head to see Nurse Joy standing next to the table with a young man standing next to her. He looked about Ellie's age. He had brown hair and eyes, and was wearing a jacket with a few shades of blue on it. Nurse Joy spoke to the amnesiac as she introduced him. "Ellie, this is Touya, one of N's friends."

The young man smiled as he addressed her. "It's nice to meet you, Ellie. Nurse Joy said that you met N last week; do you know where he went?"

A frown settled on Ellie's face as she replied, "No, I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is."

Touya laughed sheepishly. "That's alright, I didn't really expect you to know, but it never hurts to ask." He smiled again. "You may still be able to help me, though. Would you mind if I asked you some questions?"

Nurse Joy intervened. "Ellie has amnesia. I don't know if she would be able to help much."

Touya's eyes widened in shock. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

The redhead smiled weakly. "It's alright. I can still try, though."

The young man sat across from Ellie. "So, how did you meet N?"

Ellie thought for a moment as she recalled her earliest memories. "Well, I woke up in the woods unable to remember anything. Then Eevee came over and helped me out, but some guy tried to take her away. N came over and scared him away before helping me here." She frowned as she added, "He left so soon that I never got to thank him."

Touya took in the information before responding. "It was probably an accident that he ran into you, so he probably went in the same direction he was going in before meeting you. I know! If we went to where you met and you showed me what direction he came from, we might be able to figure out where he is going! Will you take me there?"

Ellie hesitated as she tried to recall the way there before agreeing to take him. After putting the trays of food away, the young woman picked up Eevee and led Touya out of the Pokémon Center.

Touya looked at Eevee curiously. "Why are you carrying your Pokémon?"

Ellie looked at him incredulously, certain that the answer should be obvious. "Well, I don't want anyone to take her."

He chuckled. "Why don't you put Eevee in her pokéball, then?"

The redhead raised an eyebrow as she repeated, "Pokéball?"

Touya rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, right, you probably don't remember. This is a pokéball." He reached for his belt—which looked remarkably like Ellie's—and opened a small slot before pulling out a small red and white ball.

He pressed the button on the sphere, and it grew five times the original size. Ellie jumped back at the sight, surprised.

"We carry pokémon in pokéballs," he explained. "This one is empty, so you can use it to carry Eevee."

"But what about when she isn't in there?"

"They are specially programmed. Once a pokémon is in a pokéball it only reacts to that specific pokéball, so no one else can catch it. Here," he finished, handing it over.

As Ellie analyzed the ball with interest, her eyes dilated. Visions of herself going through the process of catching pokémon and letting them out of their pokéballs raced through her mind's eye—though the pokémon in the memories were too blurry to make out.

As the redhead's attention returned to the present, she looked back and forth between Eevee and the pokéball before carefully placing her down. Eevee smiled up at Ellie as the young woman mimicked her memories. A bright red light engulfed Eevee, but the pokémon remained in place after the light receded. Ellie raised an eyebrow, wondering why following her memories didn't work this time.

Touya stared at Ellie for a few moments before speaking up in an unsure tone. "I thought you didn't remember pokéballs."

Ellie looked over to him before explaining, "When you put it in my hand, I regained my memories of catching pokémon-at least, I thought I did."

The young man scrutinized the pokéball before coming to a realization. "Eevee clearly belongs to another pokéball. Maybe she's still yours, though. Your belt looks like the same kind as mine, so you might have her pokéball in there."

"Okay," Ellie responded as she mimicked his motion earlier, lifting up a slot on the belt.

There was a pokéball in the first slot, so she took it out and expanded it in her hand. Mimicking her memories, Ellie opened the pokéball, and a red light shot out. Rather than enveloping Eevee, the red light landed on the ground next to her and began to take the shape of something large. The light dissipated to reveal something a few inches taller than Ellie with a yellow underbelly and a green back. As the pokémon roared to the heavens a name popped into the young woman's head—though she didn't know where it came from.

"Typhlosion?" Ellie timidly asked.

The pokemon immediately turned his head at the sound of her voice. He rushed over and nuzzled his head into his trainer's shoulder affectionately. Ellie giggled at his strange behavior—not expecting it from such a big and scary-looking pokémon. As she petted his head, Eevee cried out in excitement and ran in circles around Typhlosion. The larger pokémon noticed this and bent down to Eevee's eye level before nuzzling his head into the small pokémon.

Ellie and Touya laughed at the amusing sight before Touya spoke up again. "It looks like they know each other, so I would say that Eevee is definitely yours."

The redhead smiled, relieved that she wouldn't have to say goodbye to her little friend. She moved to pokéball to return Typhlosion inside, but because of his big, pleading eyes she decided to let him walk beside her. Ellie put his pokéball back in its spot before moving onto the next slot. She mimicked her earlier motions, and the red light surrounded Eevee. As the light disappeared into the pokéball, so did Eevee.

Satisfied that the small pokémon could now have the rest that she deserved, Ellie, Touya, and Typhlosion began walking to the Petalburg Woods. As the three of them were walking Ellie heard a faint rustling sound in the nearby bushes. As she looked to see what was there, a pokémon jumped out to attack.

Her eyes dilated and she commanded, "Typhlosion, Protect!"

Typhlosion quickly jumped in front of the two humans, obeying Ellie's orders before following up with a protective roar that sent the other pokémon scurrying away. As her pupils returned to normal, she stood there wondering what possessed her to do that.

Touya was equally surprised and asked, "How did you know how to do that with your amnesia?"

Ellie hesitated, unsure of the answer. "I... I don't know. It just happened on reflex, I guess."

The brunet didn't question her response, and the three of them kept moving through the woods. Ellie slowed down when she started recognizing the area more before spotting the tree that she woke up under.

She walked to the spot, informing Touya, "It was right here."

"Great! Do you remember which direction N came from?"

Ellie looked around before pointing and saying, "He came from over there."

"Okay," Touya half-said to himself. "He must be going Southeast, then."

The young woman looked down at her boots as she became lost in thought. Touya was going to leave her, too, wasn't he? No, not this time. This time, she would ask to go with him. She can't live the rest of her life in a place where no one would find her again, and at least Ellie would be able to find N and thank him for helping her that first day.

Ellie looked up with a newfound confidence in her eyes. "Touya, can I come with you on your search? I want to find N too."

The young man smiled back at her. "Of course you can! We're both working toward the same goal. Besides, it looks like experiences are what brings back your memories, and you can only get so many experiences at a Pokemon Center."

Overcome with joy, Ellie wrapped her arms around him in an embrace as she thanked him. As she realized what she was doing, the amnesiac quickly backed up, blushing as she apologized.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what that was just now."

Touya laughed amicably at her reaction before explaining, "That was a hug."

At the sound of the word, Ellie's eyes dilated. She recalled each moment of hugging that she had experienced in her life before amnesia, though she couldn't recall the faces of the people that she hugged. Along with the physical memories came the connotation of a hug. Ellie remembered when and why you give people hugs, including times of sorrow, comfort, joy, thankfulness, friendship, and romantic feelings. She blushed at the final connotation, hoping that her actions wouldn't be taken the wrong way. Ellie's attention was pulled back to reality as Touya tugged lightly on her arm, leading her to the place called Petalburg City.

Meanwhile, in an unmarked building in another region, a young man and his Lucario were called into an office where their superior sat.

"Riley," he addressed the young man. "I have some bad news for you. A few days ago, Ellie's tracking device lost its signal."

Riley wasn't concerned and he chuckled as he reminded his superior, "She keeps it in her sock; she probably just forgot to take it out again."

The older man sighed. "That's what I thought at first, but we haven't been able to contact her, and she hasn't done her weekly check-in."

Riley's expression dropped as he realized the seriousness of the matter. "So, she either defected or they got her too."

Riley's superior nodded glumly before continuing. "The tracking device last transmitted at the Pokemon Center in Rustboro City in the Hoenn region. You know her best; I need you to investigate what happened, and take whatever measures are necessary once you find out what happened to Ellie."

"Yes, sir."


	3. Splash

After making it out of the woods, Ellie put Typhlosion back into his pokéball and continued walking with Touya. The two of them walked in amicable silence as they walked across a dirt path with a cliff going down to the right. There was a pristine beach at the bottom of the cliff, lined with a few lounging pokémon and a lone shack with a boat tied to a dock. As the path swung to the left, Ellie brought her attention to the scenery in front of them. A few hundred meters away, the redhead could see the arching entranceway to Petalburg City blocked by caution tape and a man in a bright yellow vest. The young woman frowned at the sight before peering at the buildings in the city, only to find many of them covered in tents.

When Ellie and Touya made it to the entrance, the man in the vest stood in front of them.

"Hey, you're not allowed any further." He ordered with a gruff voice as he crossed his arms.

The blue-eyed woman frowned and asked, "Why not?"

The man turned to Ellie, scrutinizing her appearance before saying, "This town is under quarantine. There is a deadly pathogen in the water system and everyone is sick. You'd best get out of here, if you know what's good for you."

Ellie's eyes went wide at the news and worry for N's safety settled in. When she looked over to Touya, he had a similar reaction, before asking the man, "How long has Petalburg City been under quarantine?"

"Eh, a few days, I s'pose."

The two travelers breathed a sigh of relief, certain that N had made it out of the city before the outbreak. Touya took out his map of the Hoenn region to plan a route around the city as he mumbled to himself, "That explains why we didn't run into any trainers… He must have gone to Mauville City, then. We'll have to go around to Slateport City to reach him…"

The vested man spoke up again. "Before you two go, I'll need to take your pictures and get your names—y'know, just in case you get infected too."

Ellie agreed to his request and let him take her picture first and gave him her first name.

The man grumbled, "I need your full name, missy."

The amnesiac hesitated before trying to explain the situation to him. "Well, I don't actually know my full name. See, I have amnesia, and I can only remember events that have happened since I woke up last week, and—"

He cut her off, waving his hand around as he said, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Hey, fella, you gonna let me take your picture yet?"

Touya put his map away before letting the man take his picture. After Touya gave the man his full name, the two of them departed and started walking back to where they came from.

As they began walking the path that followed the ocean-lined cliff, Touya explained the new route to his companion. "Ellie, do you see that shack up there?"

The red-haired woman looked past the bend. As her eyes landed on the only building on the beach, she answered, "Yes."

"We can get a ride around Petalburg City to an island town called Dewford Town, and then we'll continue to Slateport City. N should either be there or one of the towns to the north. We'll be an extra few days behind, but we can catch up again."

When he finished explaining, Ellie followed Touya down the stairs and onto the beach. The two of them walked up to the shack, where an old man was sitting in a rocking chair.

He smiled at the pair as he asked, "Do you two need my ferry services?"

"Yes, please." Touya replied.

The old man stood up. "Ah, it has been so long since such fine, young folks needed my help to get across the sea. Where are you two headed?"

"We need to get to Slateport City."

"Slateport, huh?" The old man gestured for the travelers to follow him onto the boat. "We'll have to stop in Dewford Town on the way to gas up. It will take us about an hour or so to get there." He started the engine. "My ship may be old, but she's still fast. Hang on, folks!"

Ellie and Touya sat down on the outer part of the ship's deck and each held onto a bar as the old man revved the engine, starting slowly as he directed the boat into the deeper water and pointed it south. Once he finished that, he cranked the boat to top speed. The boat jumped up over each wave as Ellie tightly clung to the bar, her stomach tossing and turning everywhere.

After nearly an hour of that, the boat slowed to a halt and docked at Dewford Town. The old man tied the ship to the pier as it gently rocked up and down. The young woman's death grip on the bar got even tighter as her sour stomach turned once more.

Ellie's face was tinted a light shade of green as she moaned, "I think I'm going to be sick."

As Touya helped her stand up and get out of the wobbly boat, the old man said, "Sorry, miss, but you should have told me that you get seasick. I would have given you something to take for the ride."

Ellie's knees threatened to give out, not yet used to the solid ground as she leaned against Touya to try to regain her balance. Touya was a good sport and held the seasick woman up as he responded to the sailor.

"Ellie has amnesia. She probably didn't know."

The old man stepped out onto the dock and frowned at the redhead as he said, "So sorry to hear that, miss. I hope you get your memories back soon." He looked back up at Touya before relaying, "We'll stop here for a bit as I refuel. Use this time to rest before we head back out. I'm sure the Pokémon Center has something you can take for your seasickness, Miss Ellie."

The young woman half-heartedly nodded at the man, still affected by the rocking boat. Touya thanked him before turning and beginning to help his companion up the beach and to the Pokémon Center. The further they got away from the boat, the better Ellie felt. Her skin color began to return to a more healthy shade, and she was starting to be able to walk on her own again.

Once inside the Pokémon Center, Ellie walked up to the counter, where a nurse stood.

"Excuse me?" The redhead asked, careful not to upset her stomach any further.

The nurse turned to face the newcomer. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Do you have anything for sea sickness?"

"Well, you can check the cafeteria for ginger cookies. Ginger is good for treating nausea, so eating a few of them will help calm your stomach."

Ellie's blue eyes lit up as she thanked the nurse and made her way to the cafeteria. Touya stayed behind to ask the people in the main lobby if they had seen N lately. Luckily for Ellie, she found her cookies. The redhead put a few on a plate and took them to an empty table near the windows. As she looked out the window, slowly munching on the cookies, she could feel her stomach feeling better.

A group of kids, eleven years old at the most, sat at the table next to Ellie. As they chattered away, the young woman looked up at the small mountain outside the window.

"I can't wait to explore Granite Cave!" One of the young trainers said.

"I heard there's a mine inside that the old Champion goes to sometimes," commented another.

Ellie's pupils dilated as she heard a familiar voice say, "My family owns a mine on…"

The voice shocked her, and she frantically looked around for the source. It belonged to a man much older than the kids next to her, but there was no one matching that description nearby. Ellie quickly calmed herself and analyzed the event. In the past, a word has triggered memories. Earlier, when Touya mentioned hugs, Ellie recalled hugging. Just then, those kids were talking about a mine, and then the owner-less voice mentioned a mine. Given that information, Ellie concluded that it must have been an auditory memory.

She then finished her cookies and walked back out to the lobby, where Touya was. He walked up to the redhead and told her that no one here recognized N except from old newscasts. The two of them then decided that they had given the captain enough time to refuel the boat, and they returned to the dock. The captain waved to the pair from his boat.

"Perfect timing, folks!" The old man called out to them as he motioned for them to board the boat. "We're ready to set sail."

Ellie took a deep breath, preparing herself for another awful ride. As Touya helped the young woman into the boat, the captain addressed her.

"Now, Miss Ellie, sit right there in the middle of the ship and you should be alright. If you watch the horizon, your brain will make you think that you aren't moving." He then started the engine. "It will take us a little over an hour to reach Slateport. Hang on, folks!"

Ellie and Touya held on to the nearest bars as the captain revved the engine again and took off into the sea. As the redhead stared out at the horizon, her gaze fell to the water. Rather than the feeling of nausea returning, her eyes dilated.

_Ellie was much smaller than she is now. The age of seven came to mind. She was on a small boat, anchored to the sea. The young girl curiously looked over the side of the boat, laughing as she leaned over to touch the water and look at the pokémon in it._

_The older woman who looked like Ellie called out, "Ellie, be careful, you could—"_

_**Splash!**_

_Water surrounded Ellie's young self and began to invade her lungs as she writhed around in panic. She heard a faraway sound of breaking glass. A boy with short blond hair and blue eyes appeared in front of Ellie's face as he swam toward her. He reached out to her, so she reached out to him._

Ellie gasped as the memory faded, unaware that she had been holding her breath as she recalled the event. Confusion and concern racked her mind as she tightened her grip and returned her gaze to the horizon.


	4. Challenge

An hour and a half had passed before the boat finally landed. Touya and Ellie carefully jumped off the boat and onto the warm sand. Although the redhead's steps were a little wobbly, watching the horizon had helped the young woman fight off her seasickness.

The ship's captain called down to them. "Slateport City is just north of here. If you hurry, you should be able to reach the Pokémon Center by dinner time."

Ellie smiled up at the captain, gracious that he had agreed to help her and Touya for free. "Thank you for all of your help!"

"No problem, Miss Ellie! Good luck on finding your friend!"

This time Touya spoke up, thanking the man. The two of them waved goodbye to the captain as he returned to Dewford Town. After that, they headed north. Ellie looked around, taking in the scenery as she walked. People were lounging on blankets and under umbrellas. Children splashed in the ocean waves with their parents and their pokémon.

"Hey, you! I challenge you!"

Ellie redirected her attention to the source of the voice. It came from a young teen with messy, brown hair and fiery green eyes. He approached the traveling pair as they stopped to look at him. He stopped when he reached the two of them.

Touya smiled amicably. "A challenge, eh?"

"Yeah! You're looking at the next Hoenn Champion, and I need to battle more to get there." The boy proudly claimed.

Touya let out an amused chuckle as he stepped forward and offered his hand. "Alright, I'll be your opponent. My name is Touya."

The boy shook his hand. "I'm Mark."

They separated, leaving several yards of space between each other. Touya called Ellie to stand behind him before calling out to the boy. "So, Mark, how many badges have you earned so far?"

"I have four badges—that's more than anyone else I know!" He bragged as he reached for his pokéball.

Upon hearing the number, Touya reached for a pokéball in the back of his belt. "Impressive. Let's see how you do, then."

Mark smirked and tossed his pokéball. "Go, Nuzleaf! Let's take this guy down!"

Nuzleaf hopped up and down between his two feet before drumming his chest with a cocky cry.

Touya smiled and tossed his pokéball into the makeshift arena. "Let's go, Meditite."

Meditite appeared out of the red light from the pokéball. He stared as his opponent with a discerning eye.

Mark smirked and shouted, "Nuzleaf, use bullet seed!"

The grass-dark type shot a line of hard seeds at his opponent.

Touya commanded, "Dodge, and follow up with calm mind!"

Meditite skillfully avoided the streams of seeds fired at him before sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes.

As the two trainers continued shouting out commands, Ellie's pupils dilated and the sounds of the battle began to fade into silence. Soon after, her senses were completely taken over by a memory.

*~o~*

Ellie was a little shorter than she is now—the age of fifteen came to mind. Typhlosion stood in front of her, slightly worn out from battle. Across from Typhlosion stood a pokémon who was slightly taller than him and nearly twice Typhlosion's weight. He had yellow fur and black stripes. Behind him, stood a young man—maybe a year or two Ellie's elder. His spiky blond hair matched the hue of his pokémon's fur. His bright blue eyes seemed so familiar, but Ellie couldn't quite place him.

"Electivire," he cried out. "Use quick attack!"

The bulky, yellow pokémon shot forward at Typhlosion.

"Dodge it and dig, Ty!"

The volcano pokémon jumped to the side. Electivire skidded as it turned to hit Typhlosion. Just before the electric pokémon reached him, Typhlosion dug underground.

The blond teen called out to Ellie. "He's certainly gotten faster." The redhead smiled, proud of her pokémon. The blond then shouted another command to his pokémon. "Electivire, prepare for a giga impact!"

Ellie's smile faded as she figured out his strategy. Typhlosion shot out of the ground and slammed in to Electivire. The thunderbolt pokémon barely managed to hang on before charging at Typhlosion. Electivire slammed into Typhlosion, sending him flying across the field.

As Electivire paused to rest, Ellie cried out to her pokémon. "Typhlosion, are you alright?"

The volcano pokémon managed to push himself back up, but he was barely standing. Typhlosion nodded with a snort.

Ellie smiled at her pokémon and looked back up at Electivire. "Alright Ty, one more hit should do it. Are you ready?"

Typhlosion nodded and cried out, "Typhlosion!"

The blond tensed. "Get ready to dodge, Electivire!"

"Typhlosion, use flamethrower!"

The fire-type stood on all fours. The flames on his back grew larger and hotter as his Blaze ability kicked in. Typhlosion opened his mouth, shooting a steady rush of flames from his opened jaw to the exhausted electric pokémon.

"Electivire!" The blond cried out in concern.

The flames died down, and the thunderbolt pokémon fainted. The blond stared at his pokémon in disbelief for a few moments before returning Electivire to his pokéball.

"You did well, buddy." He said as he returned the pokéball to his belt.

Ellie smiled and approached her opponent as Typhlosion walked proudly behind her.

When the redhead reached him, the blond looked up at her and started laughing. "That was such a good battle. It was so much fun!" He stifled his laughter and looked at Ellie with a proud smile on his face. "I can't believe how much stronger you've gotten."

"Phlosion!"

They both looked down at Ellie's pokémon as the blond petted his head. "You too, Typhlosion."

The two of them laughed jovially, and the memory faded to black.

*~o~*

As Ellie regained her senses, she looked in front of herself to see that Mark's Nuzleaf had just fainted in the sand. Touya walked over to Mark, the young teen looking down at his pokéball in disappointed shock.

The two shook hands and Mark spoke up, his voice weary. "But, I had the type advantage… I should have been able to beat you."

"There is more to battling than type advantages." Touya said before offering, "Why don't you come with us to the Slateport City Pokémon Center?"

Mark glumly agreed and started walking on the other side of Touya as the three of them traveled northbound.

As the they walked in silence, Ellie's thoughts returned to her newly recovered memory. That blond man seemed so familiar—maybe that's just because she knew him at one point. The young woman further contemplated it and her eyes widened. Of course! This was the same person as the boy who rescued her in the memory that she had recalled on the boat. Who was he, though?

After those first few moments of silence, Mark spoke up again. "If there's more than just type advantages, what else am I supposed to do?"

Touya looked down at the budding trainer. "Well, you should also pay attention to move types. Try to have moves that can defend against an opponent who has the advantage over you. I would also teach Nuzleaf a defensive move, if I were you. Offense and defense go hand in hand when you strategize."

The young teen nodded as he took mental notes. "You sure know a lot. How many badges do you have, anyway?"

"Eight."

"Wow! Really?"

Touya nodded. As Ellie looked over to Mark, she could practically see the gears turning in his head.

After a few moments of silence, Mark jumped in front of Touya. "Wait! I know who you are!" The three of them stopped walking as Mark excitedly continued. "You were all over the news a few years ago for disbanding Team Plasma and becoming the Unova Champion!"

Touya laughed amicably as he smiled. "Yup, that's me."

"Wow!" Mark's eyes began to twinkle. "Is it true that there is a club where all of the Pokémon Champions across the regions get together?"

"Yes."

"That's so cool! What are the other champions like?"

"Well," Touya began as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I didn't stay long enough to properly join the Champion League. I only know Alder—the champion before me—and Iris, who came after me."

Mark nearly jumped up and down in excitement. "I have an Alder trading card! Before we get to the Pokémon Center, can I take a picture with you guys? My friends are going to flip out when they see who I battled."

Touya laughed lightly. "Of course you can."

The trio then continued walking. Mark asked Touya countless questions along the way. Once the three of you entered Slateport City, Mark got one of the passing residents to take a picture with Ellie and Touya. After that, they headed off to the Pokémon Center. There, Mark and Touya healed their pokémon. Then, Touya and Ellie bid the teen farewell.

As Mark walked to the dining hall, Touya and Ellie approached the nurse at the counter. She wasn't busy, so Touya asked if she had seen N recently.

After a moment of thought, she answered, "Actually, I think I saw him this morning."

Ellie and Touya exchanged excited glances before the redhead asked, "Do you know where he went?"

"I think he went to the harbor on the southeastern edge of the city."

"Thank you!" Touya smiled as he grabbed his companion's hand and rushed them both out of the Pokémon Center.

Ellie was initially surprised at his actions, not having seen him act so excitable today. After thinking about it, she realized that he must have been searching for N for a long time. It now made sense that Touya was so excited: he might be able to finally see his friend. Ellie smiled at the thought.

Within ten minutes, they arrived at the harbor. As the two of them burst through the doors, Ellie looked around to find the building nearly devoid of people. The few people there were a middle-aged man in a lab coat, a few sailors, and an old man standing at a counter near the entrance.

"Hey, you two!" Ellie looked to the side to see the old man speaking. "Yes, you, missy. You and yer friend. Do ya need somethin'?"

Ellie tugged a distracted Touya along to the old man before speaking. "Yes, sir. We're looking for our friend. The nurse at the Pokémon Center said that he came by the harbor this morning."

With that said, Touya took over and described N to the old man.

The old man thought for a moment before saying, "He does sound familiar. I think he took ordered a ticket for one of our ferries."

Touya's eyes saddened again, and Ellie asked, "Do you know where he is going next?"

"Lemme take a look." The old man said before turning to a high tech computer behind the counter.

He slowly clicked away, his expression forming into that of frustration as the minutes passed. He narrowed his eyes at the screen as he started mumbling incoherently. As more time passed, his mumbling became louder and louder. Ellie and Touya stood there awkwardly as he got noisier.

At one point he began screaming. "Confounded piece of junk! "User friendly" my behind! Stern!"

Ellie and Touya exchanged glances as they heard footsteps rushing toward the counter.

As a man with neatly combed brown hair reached the front desk, the old man cried out, "Why do you make me use this blasted thing when it doesn't make any sense?!"

"Allow me." The old man moved out of the way and the younger one addressed you. "I'm Captain Stern. I run this shipyard. What can I help you with?"

Touya spoke up. "We're looking for our friend, N. He came by this morning, and might have bought a ticket for a ferry ride."

"Well, let's just go through the list of customers." With a quick clack of the keyboard, Captain Stern brought up a list of each of the purchases made that day.

As he scrolled through the list, Captain Stern turned the screen to face the pair of travelers. "Is this him?" Pictured next to the name "N Harmonia" was the green-haired man that Ellie had met last week.

Touya smiled and said, "Yes, that's him!"

Captain Stern turned the screen to face him again as he read through the purchase. "It looks like you just missed him. He took the ferry to the Johto Region this afternoon."

Touya frowned and ran his fingers through his hair as he moaned, "Why does this keep happening? Every time I get close, I miss him by a day!"

Ellie frowned at Touya and put a hesitant hand on his shoulder in an attempt at comforting him. It seemed that finding N would be a bigger challenge than she had thought.

The young woman then looked up at Captain Stern and asked, "When does the next ferry leave?"

"In a month."

Touya's shoulders slumped as he looked down dismally.

"Is there any other way we can get there sooner?" Ellie asked.

"Well," Captain Stern began. "You could take the ferry to Kanto, and then take the Magnet Train to Johto. The Kanto Ferry leaves in seven days, but it's less of a wait."

She nodded. "We'll take it."

After paying for their tickets, Touya and Ellie discussed what they should do in the meantime.

The old man overheard their conversation and jumped in. "Before you two leave Hoenn, I suggest that ya visit the hot springs in Lavaridge Town. It's a few towns northwest of here, but if ya leave tomorrow morning and only spend a day there, you two should get back in time for the Kanto Ferry."

Ellie nodded to the old man. "Thank you, sir. We'll keep that in mind."

She and Touya then began to head back to the Pokémon Center, stomachs growling as they walked in the orange glow on the sunset.


End file.
